Faculty of Engineering, LTH

Ageing and Design

The research carried out at the Ageing and Design platform revolves around the demands and needs of contemporary elderly life.

Our research projects are important, not only because they provide new knowledge and design, but because they give elderly people a voice. That is why we often include elderly people in our projects, where we make participatory methods a priority.

CESAER is a network for the European universities of technology and engineering, http://cesaer.org. Each university produces a two minute video showing in what way technology, research and innovation make a difference in society. The video from LTH, faculty of engineering, Lund University, is about ageing and design, and how virtual reality can help elderly people fulfil their dreams.

There are a large number of projects related to the field. Some of these are:

Design of pharmaceutical packaging that is suited for the elderly, Giana Lorenzini, Ph.D student at the department of Packaging Logistics.

Slip and fall accidents and injuries, balance and slip resistance of human movement.Chuansi Gao at the department of Ergonomics and Aerosol Technology.

Hobbit - the mutual care robot. An EU-project where Håkan Eftring and Susanne Frennert at Certec participate in developing a socially assistive robot that helps seniors and old people at home.

NavMem - Navigation support for older travellers with memory decline. An EU-project where researchers at Certec participate, in collaboration with the Swedish Stroke Association. Contact person is Charlotte Magnusson.

Thermal regulation in the elderly.Kalev Kuklane at the department of Ergonomics and Aerosol Technology.

Making a difference for the elderly

From the exhibition at Äldreriksdagen - Per-Olof Hedvall shows the building blocks of the Activity diamond.

At the national conference “Making a difference for the elderly”, that also hosted Äldreriksdagen March 25-26 2014, Bodil Jönsson and Per-Olof Hedvall from Certec participated with the following seminars:

“You want to get by on your own!” About technological and human assistance – renewing combinations on the terms of the persons involved.” Bodil Jönsson (professor emerita in rehabilitation engineering) and Anders Ekholm (vice president, the institute for futures studies)

“The art of living life throughout life”. How can human dreams be supported using human as well as technological assistance? How do we design support that emanates from seniors’ lives and wishes? A dialogue starting with an “Activity diamond” as guidance to practical everyday life. Participants: Bodil Jönsson, professor emerita, Per-Olof Hedvall, engineering Ph.D.

In the exhibition area, the conference participants were given their own Activity diamond in the form of a puzzle, which could be used to keep contemplating how combinations of technological and human assistance can create possibilities on the terms of the individuals involved.

Previous projects

GiraffPlus – A research project of the EU’s 7th Framework Programme to develop an individualized system for older people who want to remain living at home. The system will have the capacity to monitor changes in the person’s health and report these to clinics, home help services, family or friends. The system consists of a telepresence robot and sensors, as well as individual measurement instrumentation. Project website.

HOBBIT – A research project of the EU’s 7th Framework Programme to develop a socially assistive robot that helps seniors and old people at home. Project website: http://hobbit.acin.tuwien.ac.at/

NavMem – Navigation Support for Older Travellers with memory Decline. This project is financed by VINNOVA (Swedish Governmental Agency for Innovation Systems) in the framework of the EU AAL (Ambient Assisted Living) Joint Programme. NavMem aims to increase older travellers’ ability to navigate outdoors and to counteract social isolation. We collaborate, among others, with the Swedish Stroke Association in Malmö, Sweden. Project website: www.navmem.eu

Live, Eat, Dwell – A Strategy for Modern Ageing. A platform financed by VINNOVA (Sweden's Innovation Agency) to mobilise Swedish actors in the area, strengthen Swedish competitiveness and influence Swedish participation in Horizon 2020. The project is a collaborative effort with SP (Technical Research Institute of Sweden) and Kristianstad University in Sweden.

An Ageing Population – A Strategic Innovation Area (SIO) financed by VINNOVA (Swedish Governmental Agency for Innovation Systems) to create a Swedish area of strength. The project is coordinated by SP (Technical Research Institute of Sweden).

A Longer Working Life – A foundation that includes working conditions, health aspects and conditions outside of work. A project financed by AFA Insurance under the management of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Lund University, Sweden.

Enabling Participation, Health and Well-being of Ageing Workers: Towards a Sustainable and Inclusive Working Life. A project funded by FORTE (Swedish Research Council for Health, Working Life and Welfare) under the management of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Lund University, Sweden.

Page Manager: 2017-05-11

Contact information

VIP participation

There is a growing interest to participate in our projects. We keep in touch with a group of elderly citizens that we invite as test subjects. They regularly receive information about what is happening and are invited to the institution each year.

About the platform

The Ageing and Design platform was founded in 2003, and is today an integrated part of the research undertaken at the Department of Design Sciences. The platform consists of researchers from many fields, who all work with design for the elderly in various ways.